How should I respond to this message? Guy claims that my domain actually is his

[TordB]

I just recived this letter:


Hello

I see that you have just purchased the zmmz.com domain. Until
very recently I owned this domain, and was still using it, except
that the registrar (1and1.com) has deleted my account without
notifying me, and cancelled my registration of the domain.

Would it be possible to negotiate with you for me to reclaim the
domain name, since you have not yet started using it?

Thanks for your understanding,
Alex

I think I have parked the domain though. How should I respond to the letter?

[MAllie]

If I got such a letter I wouldn't think that this guy is saying the domain is his. He seems to be saying that it was his and he would like to have it again, for which purpose he is interested in negotiating with you. Others will know better if this is some form of scam, but it seems to me that it's not like he's saying you stole the domain or anything. Am I wrong, folks?

[south]

Originally Posted by MAllie

If I got such a letter I wouldn't think that this guy is saying the domain is his. He seems to be saying that it was his and he would like to have it again, for which purpose he is interested in negotiating with you. Others will know better if this is some form of scam, but it seems to me that it's not like he's saying you stole the domain or anything. Am I wrong, folks?

Sounds that way to me too. Sell it to him!

[theinvestor]

Anytime the word "negotiate" is used...it doesn't mean he is requesting the domain back.

Ask him for an offer.

[TordB]

How much should I sell it for? It's probably not some scam.

[theinvestor]

Tell him to make an offer...

Did you pick it up for reg fee?

[acronym007]

Ask him for offer, if it's too low counter with your purchase plus your fee for time.

I would consider this a nice letter. I have received letters from lawyers saying the domain is theirs. Anytime some approaches in this manned I appreciate it.

[TordB]

Originally Posted by theinvestor

Did you pick it up for reg fee?

Yes, I did .

[krossat]

Another thing, remove the domain name in question from this thread. The buyer might actually search for the domain and find this thread, which might be a bad thing for the prospective sale.

You can alternatively change it to ZMMZ (dot) org or something.

[DomainName]

Originally Posted by krossat

Another thing, remove the domain name in question from this thread. The buyer might actually search for the domain and find this thread, which might be a bad thing for the prospective sale.

You can alternatively change it to ZMMZ (dot) org or something.

Yeah, you might not want to show the actual name next time since google indexes everything.

[TordB]

Does this look like a good reply?



Hi

Xxxx (my first name) here. Does 3K sound like a good price for the domain? I have other people that are interested in the domain too. Therefore, I need you to respond within 48 hours.

I will gladly consider you bid to buy the domain. Please get back to me as soon as possible.

Best regards,
xxxx (my first name)
0047 xxx xx xxx

[Fatbat]

It's not bad. I would go for more myself, but I'm greedy like that. 3k what? Dollars I assume (word your letters more accurately and professionally). You live in Europe for starters, so why set your sale price in US dollars?

If you want to realize a sale of 3k, then it would be wise to start out at a higher price so you have room to negotiate.

Did you consider the other's advice to CHANGE the domain in this thread, as mentioning it here may be harmful to any negotiations you might engage in? Consider that this is the most read forum on domaining and every thread here is indexed by Google. The previous owner need simply Google his domain to find this thread within about 24 hours of you making this post.

Be smart about this stuff. Domaining or otherwise, these are just common sense business decisions. You should stop and think every step along the way about what the consequences of your actions might be.

[MAllie]

Originally Posted by Fatbat

It's not bad. I would go for more myself, but I'm greedy like that.

Well, now I know I'll never make a real domainer. My attitude would be, 'Oh, you poor thing. Well, just tell me how much you can afford and I'll see what I can do.'

But I'm puzzled. How can the previous guy still be using it if Tord has parked it? And if he's someone to whom it's worth 3K, why would he have lost the domain? Surely he would have taken more care of it? And if it's so valuable, how was Tord able to hand reg it after it dropped? Why was it not snatched by someone among those who keep an eye on dropping domains?

[TordB]

Originally Posted by Fatbat

It's not bad. I would go for more myself, but I'm greedy like that. 3k what? Dollars I assume (word your letters more accurately and professionally). You live in Europe for starters, so why set your sale price in US dollars?

I should not have written 3K, I realize that now. I should have written $3000 instead. I set the price in US dollars because I believe that is the most common currrencty in the domain world (I believe). My country has Norwegian kroner not Euros though

[krossat]

Archive.org doesent show a previous site on the domain, strange!?!

[MAllie]

Originally Posted by TordB

I should not have written 3K, I realize that now. I should have written $3000 instead. I set the price in US dollars because I believe that is the most common currrencty in the domain world (I believe). My country has Norwegian kroner not Euros though

Now I'm even more confused. The Whois report shows a guy with a Turkish-looking name from Athens. They don't use kroner over there, do they? And if this is the previous guy, why is he still on the Whois?

[TordB]

Originally Posted by MAllie

Now I'm even more confused. The Whois report shows a guy with a Turkish-looking name from Athens. They don't use kroner over there, do they? And if this is the previous guy, why is he still on the Whois?

are you sure you not searched for zmmz.com? I have the zmmz (dot). org domain

[MAllie]

Yes, you are right, Tord. I was looking at the Whois for the dotcom. But in the letter you quote in your first post it's the dotcom this Alex is talking about, is it not? Perhaps he is writing to the wrong person, and should be writing to the new owner of the dotcom rather than to you, the owner of the dotorg?

[TordB]

Originally Posted by MAllie

Yes, you are right, Tord. I was looking at the Whois for the dotcom. But in the letter you quote in your first post it's the dotcom this Alex is talking about, is it not? Perhaps he is writing to the wrong person, and should be writing to the new owner of the dotcom rather than to you, the owner of the dotorg?

Yes, that might be true. Although here is my theory:

Alexander understood that to buy the zmmz.com domain back was too expensive. Therefore, he decided to try to get the zmmz.org domain instead. Just theories

[MAllie]

I'd be surprised at that. If he's still using zmmz.com, why would he want the dotorg? He specifically says in the letter you quote that he wants to 'reclaim' the domain name. Settling for a different tld wouldn't be reclaiming, would it?